


Campaigns and Kisses

by TheAnnoyingAlien



Category: Political RPF - US 20th c.
Genre: Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Cuddling, First Kiss, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-10 23:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11701788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAnnoyingAlien/pseuds/TheAnnoyingAlien
Summary: Set during Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. At their most recent campaign stop presidential candidate Bill Clinton and his running mate Al Gore spend some downtime on their campaign bus before going to talk with reporters. An accidental slip of the tongue on Al's part leads to some hidden feelings coming forth and a couple clandestine kisses.





	Campaigns and Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a short fic based off of something I read in a book once about Clinton and Gore conversing on their campaign bus. Enjoy.

It was a warm summer day in August, and Governor Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign was in full swing.

The bus tour he was partaking in with his running mate was generating a lot of publicity and support, and he enjoyed the opportunity it gave him to traverse the country, meeting new people and visiting all sorts of interesting new places. As exciting as it was, it could also be very tiring, and Bill was grateful to have found some time for a break at his most recent stop.

The candidate was seated at the small table at the back of the bus, enjoying the few precious moments he had managed to steal away before he had to face the reporters again. However, just because he wished to have some time out of the public eye did not mean he wanted to be entirely alone. At the opposite end of the table sat his running mate, Senator Al Gore, happily keeping him company. Bill delighted in having the senator around; they had developed a good rapport during the past month they had been campaigning together and would often pass long hours just talking away with each other, which was what they were spending their break doing. 

Bill had gone on to dominate the conversation, but Al didn’t mind it one bit. He genuinely enjoyed hearing his companion’s stories and remained quiet and attentive as Bill spoke. He had situated himself with one hand resting atop the table and the other resting upon his chin as he listened to his running mate, completely caught up in the other man’s words. Bill was in the middle of an interesting anecdote about his college years, and Al was so engrossed in it that he almost didn’t notice when the governor reached down to clasp his hand gently over his own. Upon realizing that this had happened Al gave a brief glance down to the tabletop, staring at their joined hands, then looked back up to Bill, locking eyes with him. Bill ceased with his story then, gazing silently back at his running mate, gauging his reaction to the gesture. Al didn’t show his feelings as openly as Bill did, and his more reserved nature was an excellent complement to Bill’s own extroversion, a combination that captivated the American people and aided them in appearing more relatable to the voters. Many pundits had described Al as cold and wooden, and perhaps on the outside he did come off that way, but Bill knew that there was another side to him, a more emotional, expressive side that could come out when coaxed by the right people. Bill was one of those people, and he expertly drew out and picked up on the hints as to how his friend was feeling. There was a pleasant softness in Al’s lovely blue eyes, a subtle warmth in his features, and the faintest hint of a blush tinting his cheeks, which all indicated to Bill that his response was a positive one. This was further confirmed when Al gave a small smile, causing Bill to break out into his own broad grin. He stroked the back of Al’s hand with his thumb, a tender move that the senator seemed to like. Al shut his eyes for a moment, his smile growing almost imperceptibly wider, appearing quite tranquil under his running mate’s touch.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have really nice hands?” He asked suddenly. Bill’s thumb came to rest still on his skin; the gentle caresses had stopped. Confused, Al’s smile faded and he opened his eyes, only to be greeted with the sight of a very flustered Bill. It was strange for Al to see the governor like this; his pale features were now rosy with a heavy blush, and his confident grin had morphed into what could only be described as a nervous pout.

“Well… yes actually, I have been told that before,” He replied, “But I never thought you’d ever tell me something like that.” The light blush on Al’s cheeks deepened slightly and he pursed his lips, averting his gaze down to the tabletop. He was normally able to tell exactly how Bill was feeling, just as Bill could do with him, and it was especially easy since Bill tended to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but this time things were different, this time Al was at a loss. Bill’s tone of voice and expression weren’t giving much away; was he upset or simply surprised? Had Al overstepped a boundary? He couldn’t discern how his running mate had taken the comment, and he mentally berated himself for so carelessly letting it slip out. He half expected Bill to pull his hand away, to get up from his seat and make a quick exit from the bus, to do anything to get away from him, to escape the awkward situation that they were now in. But, to Al’s surprise, Bill did none of that. The governor remained seated, with his hand still clasped gingerly over the senator’s own. A few more tense seconds passed, and Al couldn’t bear the silence any longer, couldn’t handle not knowing what his friend was thinking.

“Did it bother you to hear that from me?” He prodded anxiously. “I’m… I’m sorry if it did…” Bill reached up to cup Al’s cheek, stroking it with his thumb just as he had done to his hand. Al’s nervous demeanor softened a bit and he leaned into Bill’s touch, enjoying the sensation of the other man’s palm against his skin. He was relieved that at least Bill was not going to run away, that he was still content to sit here in the bus with him, to touch him without revulsion.

“It didn’t bother me one bit,” The governor assured him, “In fact, I’m real glad that you told me. I’ve been wanting to tell you some things too.” Al’s eyes brightened with a subdued excitement that would have gone unnoticed by anyone but his companion, and the corners of his mouth quirked up into a knowing grin.

“Oh, really?” He smirked coyly, “Like what?”

“Well, for one thing, I’ve been wanting to tell you that you have such beautiful eyes,” Bill murmured in his gentle southern drawl, “Sometimes when I’m talking to you like this I find myself getting lost in them. I like it when we’re alone together like we are now, just you and me. I like hearing your laugh, seeing your smile, seeing just how fun and warm you can be. And there’s something else I’ve been wanting to tell you-I want to do much more than just talk to you, Al. Can we go further than talking?” The question took Al by surprise and left him feeling overwhelmed, and his eyes darted down to the tabletop again as he contemplated his response. He was interested in pursuing things further with Bill, he’d been fantasizing about it for some time, but now was not the proper time and place to fulfill those fantasies. Everything was happening so fast, too fast.

“I’d like to do more with you, Bill, I really would,” He mumbled sheepishly, lifting his head to face Bill once more, “But you can’t bed me here on the bus! There are swarms of reporters outside waiting to talk to us!”

“Oh! Al, I wasn’t talking about sex,” Bill clarified, “I mean… I won’t beat around the bush, I do want to have sex with you, but I know we can’t do that right now with all the reporters hanging around. I was just thinking that maybe we could hold each other and kiss a bit, if that’s okay with you.” Al thought things over for a moment. Cuddling couldn’t be that bad, could it? They had more than enough time to hold each other and steal a few kisses while the media wasn’t looking.

“That would be nice,” He decided, “Let me scoot on over there with you.” He shifted himself amongst the seats so he was sitting right next to Bill rather than across from him, and Bill proceeded to draw his arms snugly around Al’s waist, pulling him onto his lap. Al placed one of his arms around Bill’s shoulders and he felt his cheeks flush as he recalled all the times he’d seen Bill holding Hillary like this, how he had wished he could be in her place, wished that he was the one whom Bill had in his arms. Al knew it was silly for him to feel this way, but he was bitterly jealous of how close she was to his running mate. Yes, she was Bill’s wife, so she was naturally going to be the closest person to him, and Al had a wife of his own whom he loved dearly, but still he envied the bond Hillary and Bill had. He longed to possess what she did, for Bill to love him just as he loved her, and, after a month of torturous pining, he was finally getting his wish, finally getting the affection and touches that he so desperately craved. Bill lifted one of his hands from Al’s waist and took hold of Al’s free hand with a slowness and gentleness so different from their usual fleeting, firm handshakes. That tender clasp of their hands, their fingers intertwining was to Al almost reminiscent of a lock clicking into place, symbolically securing them both in their embrace and in this blossoming new stage of their relationship.

Bill began to stroke his back, and although the fabric of his shirt separated him from the senator’s flesh, the sensation of his deft fingers ghosting over his spine sent a pleasant tremble all throughout Al’s body. Al slid his hand up from Bill’s shoulder to rest on the back of his head, gently toying with the other man’s silvery locks. As much as Al enjoyed all the cuddling and caressing and as delighted as he was to gaze lovingly into Bill’s eyes he soon found his attention drifting to the other man’s lips. He wanted to kiss him, and badly, but he was hesitant to make the first move. Bill noticed the way he was looking at him and grinned, his own eyes falling upon Al’s mouth. Deciding that the moment was right, he leaned in to kiss Al, a motion which the senator hastily attempted to copy once he realize what was happening, though the attempt was a clumsy one and their noses ended up colliding before their lips met, ruining the kiss. Al pulled away, cheeks reddening from embarrassment, and cursed himself under his breath for not remembering to turn his head to the side a bit to avoid this sort of mishap. Though Bill had also failed to do this he seemed to find the error humorous rather than humiliating and gave an amused chuckle, which soothed Al somewhat. He gave a weak chuckle of his own and they went in for a second try, each of them making sure to tilt their heads slightly in the opposite direction so as not to bump noses, and their lips finally met in a gentle kiss. The kiss wasn’t a long or deep one, but still it was exhilarating, it was intimate, it brought both men closer than they ever had been before. They parted after a brief moment and touched their foreheads together, faces still so close that they could feel each other’s soft breath on their skin.

“I’ve never kissed a senator until now,” Bill mused, “It was real nice.”

“And I’ve never kissed a governor,” Al added, “I liked it too.” Bill grinned and brought his hand up from Al’s back to caress his cheek again.

“In a few more months you might get to kiss a president,” He replied, “And I might get to kiss a vice president.”

“I hope you’re talking about kissing me in the White House in January and not about showing up to the vice presidential debate in October to kiss Dan Quayle.” Al smirked wryly, making Bill snort with laughter.

“Haha! Oh, if we win we’re going to be doing much more than kissing in the White House,” The governor leered, “And you’ll be serving ‘under’ me in more ways than one.” Al raised his eyebrows at his running mate’s provocative comment, and he quickly thought up one of his own.

“I may be serving under you in the government, but who knows? Perhaps I’ll be the one ‘taking the lead’ in bed.” He retorted playfully.

“What about on the floor?” Bill propositioned, grinning a smug grin, “Or up against the wall, or in the shower, or even in the Oval Office?” Al rolled his eyes at this, though he couldn’t help but crack a small smile.

“Clinton, you can be such a dog sometimes,” He teased the other man, “We haven’t even gone as far as a French kiss yet, Election Day is still a couple months away, and here you are already fantasizing about doing me in the Oval Office.”

“I guess it is a little too early to be thinking about what will happen after November,” Bill agreed, “But what about a French kiss? I don’t know about you, but I think the time is perfect for that.” He moved his hand down from Al’s cheek, resting his thumb upon the senator’s chin and gently tilted his head up, silently conveying that he wanted another kiss. Al took the hint and parted his lips slightly as Bill did the same and drew their faces closer together, allowing their mouths to meet again. The governor’s tongue slipped past his lips, entering his mouth for the first but certainly not the last time, deepening the kiss. Al felt his cheeks flush and his heart begin to pound faster as their tongues stroked over one another, and he went weak under his running mate’s touch. He and Bill pulled away after a moment to catch their breath, gazing into each other’s eyes as they panted softly, dizzy with desire. They started to lean in for yet another kiss, but all of a sudden the bus started to shake, causing them to both lose their center of balance and accidentally headbutt each other. Al winced and recoiled, pressing his fingertips to the sore spot where his head had met with Bill’s. Bill swore loudly and gently nudged Al off of his lap so he could get up from his seat. He trotted out to the middle of the bus and parted the curtains blocking one of the windows, allowing him to peek out. Confused by this, Al got to his feet, which was somewhat difficult for him to do with the bus still rocking back and forth, and joined Bill, peering out over his shoulder. He was surprised to see that the reporters had all amassed themselves around the perimeter of the bus and had their hands pressed up against the sides, jostling it with all their might.

“What the hell are they shaking the bus for?!” Al exclaimed, clinging tightly to Bill’s arm for leverage.

“Hmph, seems like we’ve kept them waiting too long and they’ve decided they’ve had enough,” Bill surmised, “We should probably head out and talk to them before they go ahead and topple the bus over.” Al frowned; he was disappointed that his and Bill’s little make out session had been brought to such an abrupt end. He knew that the campaign was their top priority, but he couldn’t help wanting to have kissed Bill for just a little longer, to spend just a few more moments in his arms. Bill could sense that he was feeling dejected, he reached down to clasp his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. “Don’t worry; they might be rocking the bus now, but it’ll be you and I rocking it later this evening.” He joked suggestively. Al glared at him, but once again he couldn’t stop a small smile from forming on his lips.

“Only if you buy me dinner first.” He replied, and Bill burst into laughter at his witty remark.

“Of course,” The governor assured him once he had regained his composure, “Do you really think I’d take you to bed without wining and dining you beforehand? We’ll go out for a nice dinner together, and then you can have me for dessert. Now come on, let’s go out and face the press.” With that the two of them finally emerged, waving and smiling to the crowd of reporters, who greeted them with hearty applause. Almost instantaneously the two candidates found themselves pestered with questions, and they dutifully went around answering each and every one. The reporters were so engrossed with the running mates’ responses to their inquiries that they failed to notice that they were holding hands as they made their way through the crowd, and that the governor was tenderly stroking the senator’s palm with his thumb.

The End


End file.
